A Thanksgiving Turkey that's so juicy with a crispy skin. Easy step-by-step tutorial, even first time cooks can pull this turkey recipe off stress free!
6tablespoonsunsalted buttercut into 1 Tablespoon pats
1 1/2yellow onionspeeled and halved
4garlic clovespeeled
Dry Rub:
2teaspoonssalt
2teaspoonsdried thyme
1teaspoondried sage
1teaspoondried rosemary
1/2teaspoonpaprika
1/2teaspoonpepper
1/2teaspoonground mustard
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
In a bowl, combine the salt, thyme, sage, paprika, pepper, and ground mustard until evenly incorporated.
Remove the turkey from its packaging. From the bird's cavity, remove the neck and the bag containing the gizzards and heart. (You can keep these items to make stock or discard them.)
Use a few paper towels to dry off the skin of the bird and inside the cavity.
Lift the skin over the turkey breast (on the side closest to the legs) and slide your hand under the skin separating it from the breast meat. Do this on both sides of the breast.
Insert three pats of butter under the skin on one side fo the turkey breast spreading them around evenly. Repeat on the other side.
Sprinkle the dry rub all over the turkey - breast, legs, wings, anything you can see. Using your hands press the rub into the skin a little. If you have any extra rub sprinkle it inside the cavity.
Place the onion halves and garlic cloves inside the turkey's cavity.
Transfer the bird to your roasting pan. (I like to use a pan with a rack to keep the bottom of the turkey from getting soggy.)
Take a good sized piece of foil and place it over the turkey breast. (You want to make sure to the foil piece is big enough to fit over the whole breast.) Press down and mold the foil to the breast., let the ends stick out if the foil's a bit big.
Place the turkey in the oven and roast for 2 hours. Carefully remove the foil from the turkey. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees and cook the turkey for another hour, or until the internal temperature of the breast reaches 165 degrees F and the skin is golden and crispy.
Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest for 30-45 minutes before carving.
Notes
This recipe is for a 12 pound bird. You will add 15 minutes per pound at the 325 degree cooking time. The temperature increase at the end does not change. Here is a handy list of how long to cook your turkey at different weights:
10 pounds: 1 hour 30 minutes at 325 degrees; 1 hour at 400 degrees.
12 pounds: 2 hours at 325 degrees; 1 hour at 400 degrees.
14 pounds: 2 hours, 30 minutes at 325 degrees; 1 hour at 400 degrees.
16 pounds: 3 hours at 325 degrees; 1 hour at 400 degrees.
18 pounds: 3 hours, 30 minutes at 325 degrees; 1 hour at 400 degrees.
If you have questions, please be sure to read the entire post - we answer lots of questions and offer tons of helpful tips and tricks!Be sure to save some of the drippings to make my turkey gravy!